Closures are employed to selectively prevent or permit communication between the exterior and interior of a system through an opening in the system. The system could be a machine, equipment, or container (including bottles and pouches, etc.). A typical closure includes at least (1) a receiving structure (e.g., a body, base, fitment, etc.) located at an opening to the system interior, and (2) a closing element (e.g., a lid, cover, overcap, pivotable disc top type actuator, etc.) that is cooperatively received by the receiving structure.
The receiving structure of the closure can typically be either (1) a separate structure that (a) can be attached at such a system opening, and (b) defines at least one passage through the receiving structure for communicating through such a system opening with the interior of such a system, or (2) an integral structure that is a unitary portion of such a system and that defines at least one passage through the integral structure such that the passage functions as the opening, per se, to the system.
The closing element typically is movable relative to the receiving structure passage between (1) a fully closed position occluding the passage, and (2) an open position at least partially exposing the passage. Some closures may include additional elements such as tamper-evident features, locking elements, etc.
A closure specifically designed for dispensing a fluent substance may be described as a dispensing closure. Various fluent materials or substances (including oils, lotions, creams, gels, liquids, food items, granules, powders, etc.) may be packaged in a rigid, flexible, or collapsible container having a dispensing closure that can be opened and closed. A flexible container may be pressurized by a user to force the fluent substance from the container and through the closure body to dispense the fluent substance at a target region or onto a target surface area. If the container is a bottle, pouch, or other such container, then such a container with the closure mounted thereon, and the contents stored in the container, may be characterized as a “package.”
One type of dispensing closure is a toggle action type, which typically is provided with a closing element in the form of a generally flat, disc top type actuator or a domed type actuator for dispensing a fluent substance. A user of such a closure will typically encounter the actuator in a closed, non-dispensing position. The actuator may be provided with a region for being pressed upon by a user of the closure to toggle, tilt, pivot, or otherwise rotate the actuator with respect to a stationary portion of the closure (e.g., the closure body), moving the actuator from the closed position into an open position such that a fluent substance may be dispensed through the closure. Such an actuator may subsequently be pressed upon by a user, at a different region of the actuator, to toggle, pivot, or otherwise rotate the actuator back into the closed, non-dispensing position.
The inventors of the present invention have noted that such closures, when installed on a container of a fluent substance, may be susceptible to inadvertent opening during shipping or handling, which can result in premature or messy leaking of the fluent substance stored within the container. For example, the closed actuator may be accidentally bumped open, or the actuator may accidentally open if the inside of the actuator is subjected to a sudden impact from the fluent substance or if the internal pressure of the container increases significantly during shipping or storage in high temperature environments. The inventors have found that such premature leakage through a conventional closure may be especially pronounced in e-commerce, whereby an individual package is shipped and handled in an unconstrained manner and may be subjected to a variety of forces, orientations, and temperatures.
The inadvertent opening of such a closure may be prevented, or at least minimized, by applying an adhesive seal or a film wrap around at least a portion of the closure to mechanically prevent movement of the lid until the seal or wrap has been removed by a user of the closure. Such additional adhesive seals and film wraps are typically designed and provided for only a “one-time” use (non-reusable) application to withstand lid opening forces during shipping and may increase the cost of the closure, require additional manufacturing steps, or present a nuisance to the user who must remove and discard such a seal.
Furthermore, the inventors have found that the inadvertent opening of such a closure may be prevented, or at least minimized, by modifying the existing closing means (e.g., latching or snap-fit connections) of conventional closures to increase the force required to open such closing means. Such modifications may also present a nuisance to the user of the closure because the user must generate a sufficient force to open such a strengthened closing means, and may be injured in the attempt, or may even be unable to open such a strengthened latch or connection altogether.
The inventors of the present invention have determined that it would be desirable to provide a component of the closure that may be separately formed from the closure body and actuator, but which is assembled with the closure body and actuator for preventing inadvertent opening of the closure during shipping or handling. The inventors of the present invention have further found that it would be desirable to provide indicia on such a separately formed component of the closure in a manner that would be amenable to mass production and customization for multiple applications or customers.
The inventors of the present invention have further determined that it would be beneficial to provide such a component separately formed from the closure body and actuator, but which is assembled with the closure body and actuator in only a single orientation to facilitate efficient assembly of the closure components.
The inventors of the present invention have further determined that it would be beneficial to provide such an improved closure that would facilitate easy opening or actuation by a user.
The inventors of the present invention have also determined that it would be desirable to provide such an improved closure that can be configured for use with a container of a fluent substance so as to have a reduced cost of manufacture and/or assembly.
The inventors of the present invention have invented a novel structure for a closure for use with a system, which could be a container or other type of system, wherein the closure includes various advantageous features not heretofore taught or contemplated by the prior art.